Phil Scott on Health Care

Time to cap annual increases, prioritize prevention

Must increase affordability of health insurance

When actions in Washington put access to healthcare in jeopardy, Speaker Johnson, Senator Ashe, Republican party leaders from both houses and I stood with Senators Leahy and Sanders and Congressman Welch to protect Medicaid funding. Where else but Vermont would you see such a politically-diverse group joining together to defend access to healthcare?

Replace dysfunctional Vermont Health Connect with subsidies

Scott: The single-payer proposal under the Green Mountain Care plan was abandoned by the sitting governor in 2014. The models that experts were using indicated that the plan would require an 11.5% payroll tax. I believe the decision to abandon this model was the correct one, and continuing down that road would have generated further uncertainty in Vermont's economy. However, we need to continue to work on proven models that increase access and reduce costs. We need to move off the dysfunctional Vermont Health Connect, which costs millions each year. In 2006, when I was in the State Senate, I supported legislation which expanded access to health care by providing subsidies to uninsured Vermonters to purchase insurance on a sliding scale basis. The act also cut costs through healthy lifestyle discounts to those who participated in programs that improved wellness. Within two years, Vermont's uninsured rate declined by 25%.

Affordable health care? Yes; single-payer? No

Advocates of single-payer health care, however, have not demonstrated how they will lower costs, guarantee coverage at all times for all medically necessary procedures, enhance the quality of care while preserving access to the doctor and hospital of one's choice, and strengthen the economy. In Lt. Governor Scott's view, these are the criteria that any credible reform plan must meet.